Argentine women look to cast off shadow of Messi and Co

BUENOS AIRES : Argentine women's soccer players, fans and referees will be seeking to step out of the shadow of Lionel Messi and the world champion men's team when they take the field at the Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this month.

Argentina, where soccer is almost a religion and fans sport tattoos with images of Messi or the late idol Diego Maradona, is warming to the women's game, which has grown rapidly since it became professional in 2019.

Although not favoured to win, Argentina's women hope to generate a similar wave of excitement to that which greeted the men's title triumph last December and turn players like Estefania Banini, Yamila Rodriguez and Laurina Oliveros into household names.

"The only difference is gender, but we do the same thing," said Boca Juniors goalkeeper Oliveros, who will travel to the World Cup but not play due to injury.

Oliveros said she and other players want the same respect and working conditions as male players, but they are also carving out their own space within the sport.

"We have our own playing style, our own dynamic," Oliveros said. "We understand the game differently and want to play it differently."

The ninth Women's World Cup, which kicks off on July 20, is expected to attract the largest television audience in the history of women's soccer and FIFA will pay $30,000 directly to each participating player.

The players, fans and referees are gaining prominence like never before, achieving greater visibility on TV networks and drawing bigger crowds, and even managing - sometimes - to play at the same stadiums as the men.

Laura Fortunato, a 38-year-old Argentine referee who is among the six Latin American women officiating at the World Cup, recalled that there were only 10